Agribusiness firms, Marcos focus on KALAP program developments, issues

In photo are: (from left to right) Usec. Leocadio Sebastian, Undersecretary for Rice Development of the Department of Agriculture (DA); Dir. Glen Panganiban, Director of High Value Crops Development Program of the DA; Rowena Sadicon, President of Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement; Kais Marzouki, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Philippines; Christian Moeller, CEO and Co-Founder of Lionheart Farms; Michael Tan, President of LT Group, Inc.; Irwin Ang, Senior Vice President for Growing Operations of Universal Leaf Philippines Inc.; Michelle Gankee, Exec. Vice President of SL Agritech – Sterling Group of Companies; Dr. William Dar, Senior Adviser of Go Negosyo for Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program (KALAP); Joey Concepcion, Founder of Go Negosyo; President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines; Simon Bakker, CEO of Kennemer Foods International; James Amparo, CEO of Yovel East Agriventures; Fernando Cojuangco, President & COO of Central Azucarera De Tarlac; Jovy Hernandez, President and CEO of Metro Pacific Agro Ventures; Carl Benedick Chung, SVP of Bounty Group; Stephanie Nicole Sarmiento-Garcia, Executive Vice President of Vitarich Corporation; Admin. Belinda Sarmiento-Sanchez, Administrator and CEO of National Tobacco Administration; Commissioner Gaspar Cayat, Commissioner of National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; and Atty. Lucius Jun-Jun Malsi, OIC Administrator and Deputy Admin of Philippine Coconut Authority.

MANILA, Philippines – Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion led a group of “big-brother” firms and agriculture companies and relevant government agencies and met with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, last month to discuss the progress and developments of the Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program (KALAP).

This is the second KALAP meeting with the President after the program’s ceremonial signing with government agencies last March 6.

Among the issues discussed during the meeting was the need for interventions in ensuring that farmers get access to credit, following earlier consultations with banks and financial institutions on agriculture lending. 

Concepcion emphasized the importance of achieving scale during the meeting.

“KALAP needs scale. The five hectares that the small farmers have now is not competitive. At the same time, banks can’t lend to them because the lands cannot be collateralized per agrarian reform law. While right now, there are workarounds by the big-brother companies as they work with groups of small farmers, we need to think about longer term solutions,” he said.

President’s assurance

The President assured the group that he will look into each industry concern in detail separately, adding that Landbank and the Development Bank of the Philippines are expanding their credit program coverages to agriculture.

He added that he will look into the use of digitalization in farm management as started by Universal Leaf Philippines (ULPI) in the tobacco industry.

ULPI’s Winston Uy shared during the meeting the technology they use in tobacco farming, and his intention to share it with other big-brother companies as one of the tools they can use under KALAP.

Other big-brother companies also presented to the President their models that can be used for KALAP.

James Amparo shared Yovel East’s model for rice farming, Christian Moeller for coconut, Simon Bakker for cacao, Kais Marzouki for coffee, and Nando Cojuangco for sugar 

KALAP has since enticed more big agriculture companies to join the program.

Support from banks, financial institutions

Banks and financial institutions similarly expressed support for KALAP’s push for easier access to credit for small farmers.

The Go Negosyo program aims to transform Philippine agriculture and create jobs by focusing on major agricultural commodities, adopting inclusive business models, and creating an enabling business environment.

“There has been a lot of interest, especially among the big companies on how they can participate in KALAP. There is still plenty of room for solutions and we are open to seeing how we can work with more big-brother companies,” said Concepcion.

KALAP aims to give farmers access to money, markets and mentorship, the three M’s that make for successful enterprises.

“With KALAP, we aim to see transformed agricultural commodities, food security, job opportunities, and an industry that is able to meet the requirements of the market, both in quality and quantity,” said Concepcion.

The meeting at the Palace included the heads of the agri companies who, under the KALAP model, will share their inclusive business models that integrate small farmers into the value chain of large corporations.

Key government agencies, meanwhile, will help facilitate the environment to create a productive, profitable, sustainable and competitive agriculture industry.

 ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP (GO NEGOSYO)

The Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (Go Negosyo) is a non-profit organization that advocates for entrepreneurship development in the Philippines. Established in 2005 by its Founding Trustee, Mr. Joey Concepcion, Go Negosyo aims to promote a culture of entrepreneurship among Filipinos. Go Negosyo provides mentorship, training, networking, and other resources to aspiring and active entrepreneurs, with a focus on the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Go Negosyo also works closely with the government, private sector, and other stakeholders to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship, including policy reforms, access to financing, and market opportunities. 

Its programs include the Kapatid Mentor Micro Entrepreneurs (KMME), Kapatid Agri Mentor Micro Entrepreneurs Program (KAMMP), the Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program (KALAP), the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN),  and the free entrepreneurship mentoring roadshow, 3M on Wheels and Facebook Live show Go Nego Show.

Through its programs and initiatives, Go Negosyo has empowered thousands of entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and contributing to the economic growth of the Philippines. 

For more information, visit www.gonegosyo.net, or follow us on social media: Facebook: Go Negosyo

Instagram: @letsgonegosyo; Tiktok: @letsgonegosyo; Twitter: @letsgonegosyo; YouTube: @PCEGoNegosyo.

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